Photo credit: zerok
If you are apprehensive about making friends with co-workers, relax! Having a friend or two at work will increase workplace happiness. Developing friendships in an office setting is a natural life event and it can benefit you and your employer. Here’s how socializing at work can impact your job positively:
- Better worker –
- Pro – Work will be more enjoyable. If you work in a sociable setting, this will in turn make you more sociable and a happier person when you are at work.
- Con – Work can become an unprofessional setting. Too much socializing and not enough focus on your job can get you in trouble. Eating lunch together, or chatting in the bathroom or while getting your coffee is an appropriate amount of time to talk about your weekends, a funny story, etc.
- You’ll engage more in your work – If you have a strong office friendship, you are more likely to be engaged in your work. You may also feel that you are involved in making a difference, along with colleagues whom you can trust. Not only that, you have chances to improve and develop at work.
- Less negativity – It’s Monday morning and you are tired from your weekend. You do not want to go in, but you remember a story that you want to tell your friend. Now suddenly your mood has changed and you are excited to go to work. If you are positive and excited to go to work, you will have fewer complaints about your work. People who are actively disengaged at work are often the most vocal and unhappy with their jobs.
- Improves workplace communication – Communication is key in a lot of aspects of life such as friendships, marriages and work. When co-workers know they have someone at work they can trust, it will improve workplace communication.
Building relationships with fellow employees is an important aspect of your work life. According to this study, more than one in three adults has met at least one of their closest friends at work. Another study has found that making friends in the office can increase productivity, and could make employees more passionate about their work and less likely to quit their jobs.
Many employers do not fully understand just how impactful it is to have friends at work. But these studies show that having workplace friends is great for improving overall workforce profitability and worker satisfaction. With all of this in mind, make sure you have a friend in the workplace!